By Abdullah Al-Qarni

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

RIYADH — Four new bird flu cases were detected in the Riyadh region, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture said on Tuesday.

It said the new cases were discovered in Riyadh city, Darmah, Al-Aflaj and Huraimala.

The ministry, in a press briefing, said since the outbreak of the H5N8 bird flu virus, it collected 3,304 samples from the various regions for lab tests.

It said its emergency central room received five reports about the disease, in addition to 28 inquires about the virus, which does not constitute any threat to the human life. All the cases have been properly dealt with, the ministry said.

The ministry said it would continue awareness campaigns against bird flu all over the Kingdom in collaboration with the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs.

Meanwhile, Al-Niairiyah branch municipality has razed the bird market in the area after evicting vendors from their stalls.

The head of the municipality, Muharib Mansour Al-Malaabi, said teams from the municipality demolished the market, which was close to the region's cattle market, as a precautionary measure to stop the spread of the virus.

He said they dismantled about 80 stalls where birds were sold.

He asked the bird traders to stop their business until the bird flu the alert against the disease is over.